By Rotarian Lal Goel | Founder & Charter President
Rotary Club of Organ Donation International | Chairman
Organ Donation India Foundation & GYAN
Every year on June 30, the Rotary year comes to a close. Across the world, responsibilities are formally handed over to a new team of leaders at every level—from the President of Rotary International to District Governors and Club Presidents. New leaders take charge, new teams are formed, yet one guiding principle remains unchanged: “Service Above Self.”
This seamless transition is one of Rotary’s greatest strengths. Leaders change, but the mission endures. For those of us working in the cause of organ donation, this continuity is not merely institutional—it is deeply personal. Every year, as one team passes the baton to the next, we are reminded that the work of saving lives must never pause, never falter, and never be forgotten.
Rotary’s Founding Spirit and the Gift of Life
Rotary International was founded in 1905 by Paul Harris in Chicago—a fellowship of professionals committed to service, integrity, and the betterment of humanity. Today, with more than 1.2 million members across 200 countries and territories, Rotary is one of the most influential voluntary service networks in the world.
Its Areas of Focus—including peacebuilding, disease prevention, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, education, community development, and environmental stewardship—reflect a comprehensive vision of human wellbeing.
Organ donation fits seamlessly into this vision. It is perhaps the ultimate expression of Service Above Self—a pledge made in life and honoured after death that can save up to nine lives. It carries no financial cost to the donor’s family. It transcends barriers of caste, creed, religion, language, and social status. It is a selfless act that transforms tragedy into hope and loss into life.
The Crisis We Cannot Ignore
India faces one of the most severe organ shortage crises in the world. Despite a population exceeding 1.4 billion, the country performs only a fraction of the organ transplants needed each year. The gap between patients awaiting transplants and available donors remains enormous. Hundreds of thousands of people need kidneys, livers, hearts, lungs, and other organs, yet only a small percentage ever receive the gift they desperately need.
Every day, thousands of deaths occur in circumstances where organ and tissue donation may be possible, yet the donation rate remains among the lowest globally. Awareness is limited. Myths and misconceptions continue to persist. Families are often confronted with the decision to donate at a time of immense grief, having never previously discussed the subject.
The consequences are devastating. Patients die waiting. Children lose their chance of a healthy future. Families watch helplessly as loved ones succumb to diseases that could have been treated through transplantation. This is a crisis that Rotary is uniquely positioned to address.
The World’s First Cause-Based Organ Donation e-Club
In 2023, the Rotary Club of Organ Donation International (RCODI) was founded as the world’s first Rotary e-club dedicated exclusively to organ and tissue donation, whose each meeting is dedicated to organ donation awareness and all are live telecast to the benefit of the public at large. Functioning under Rotary International District 3141, RCODI brings together members from across India and around the world who are united by a single life-saving mission.
As an e-club, RCODI transcends geographical boundaries. Its members—doctors, lawyers, educators, business leaders, healthcare professionals, and committed citizens—collaborate digitally to raise awareness, engage communities, produce educational content, and build bridges between potential donors, medical institutions, policymakers, and the public.
The club has achieved 100% compliance and recorded remarkable membership growth, reflecting the dedication and passion of its members. More importantly, it has spread awareness across hundreds of communities, reached thousands through the GYAN YouTube channel, and partnered with universities, hospitals, NGOs, and government agencies to advance the cause of organ donation.
Rotary Club of Organ Donation International — Creating Awareness, Inspiring Action
One of RCODI’s most impactful initiatives is bringing leading doctors, transplant surgeons, healthcare experts, social workers, and organ donation advocates directly to the screens of ordinary citizens.
Educational programmes have covered subjects ranging from kidney health and liver disease to brain death declaration, living wills, the legal framework governing organ donation in India, and inspiring stories of transplant recipients who have been given a second chance at life.
By making reliable information accessible to everyone, RCODI is helping to replace fear with understanding and hesitation with informed decision-making.
The Organ Donation Warriors’ Programme
Building on these efforts, the next major initiative is the Organ Donation Warriors’ Programme, scheduled for nationwide launch on 2 July 2026.
This ambitious programme seeks to identify, train, and mobilise a grassroots network of committed volunteers—Warriors for Life—in every district and state of India.
These Warriors will carry the message of organ donation into homes, schools, colleges, workplaces, places of worship, and community gatherings. They will answer questions, dispel myths, encourage donor pledges, and help ensure that when families face the decision of organ donation, they do so with awareness, confidence, and compassion.
The Organ Donation Warriors’ Programme represents Rotary at its finest—organised, committed, compassionate, and relentlessly human.
A Call to Every Rotarian
As the Rotary year draws to a close and new leaders step forward, I urge every Rotarian—whether President, Governor, club member, or friend of Rotary—to make organ donation a priority in the year ahead.
Discuss the subject in your club meetings. Invite transplant specialists and donor families to share their experiences. Encourage members and their families to pledge their organs. Support the Organ Donation Warriors’ Programme in your district. Collaborate with RCODI. Share the message through newsletters, social media, WhatsApp groups, and public events.
One organ donor can save up to nine lives.
Imagine what 1.2 million Rotarians, united by a common purpose, could achieve.
Service Above Self — Always
Paul Harris envisioned a world where professionals would use their talents, influence, and resources not for personal gain but for the greater good. Organ donation is one of the purest expressions of that vision. It asks little of us beyond awareness and willingness, yet it offers the greatest possible gift to those in need—the gift of life itself.
As this Rotary year ends and a new one begins, let us recommit ourselves to the principle that has inspired generations of Rotarians: Service Above Self.
Let us be the generation that helps transform India’s organ donation landscape.
Let us be the Rotarians who gave not only of our time, talent, and resources, but who also inspired others to give the gift of life.
Because Service Above Self is more than a Rotary motto—it is a commitment to humanity. And through organ donation, that commitment can continue to save lives long after we are gone.
